Pages

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

When I was a boy in the late 60s and early 70s, we played all sorts of sports (except soccer), boys simply never played against girls. As we grew older, some of the girls became athletes, some became academics while others cheerleaders, or band geeks, or acting geeks, or any number of other things. I became a good athlete with two standout sisters. One sister was a beautiful baton-twirling majorette who played a mean game of softball, while the other was a statuesque and formidable athlete (who could twirl a baton as well). As teens, we did not compete against each other because it was generally understood that girls did not have the chops to compete with boys. Of course, this was complete bullshit. There were other factors that prevented formal coed sports, but when the coaches were away, we played against each other anyway.

My athletic sister was an All American athlete in three sports. She was the best in her class at basketball, softball and volleyball. I played basketball well, and other sports… not so well. There was no comparison in athletic our abilities, my sister was the better athlete. I started on the boy's basketball team and she was the captain of the girl's team. Was she better than me at basketball? No, but she was better than at least half the boys on my team. One of her friends was my size and arguably better than me. Several of my sister's teammates were at least as good as several of my teammates. If we had been allowed to field a team of mixed athletes, my sister would have competed with me for playing time and her friend may have had my starting spot. The myth of female inequity did not hold when we are young. Could the best female athlete play on an average NBA team today? I think it is possible but unlikely.

There reasons why we were prevented from playing together seems to have been focused on giving girls an opportunity to play sports without big bad nasty boys ruining the experience. Plus, we were told that the bigger boys would hurt the littler girls. That was largely true I think, except for a few cases were the girls could have put the hurt on the boys, like the girl who could have started on the boys basketball team. She was my size and every bit as physical while playing the game. What we never heard was that playing sports with girls would cause boys improper thoughts… unless we were playing sports at church.

A 12-year-old girl has been kicked off her US school’s football team because she might cause her male teammates to have “impure” thoughts. Madison Baxter had been playing football for her Christian school’s team in Georgia for the past year but was recently told she would have to quit, the New York Daily News reports.

According to Madison’s mother, Cassy Blythe, Strong Rock Christian School CEO Patrick Stuart quoted the bible when he explained to her why her daughter could no longer play on the team.

Just to be clear, every twelve-year-old boy in America is full of impure thoughts. As a former boy myself, I can testify that this is true; as can every other man I know. Kicking a girl off the team because you think boys are having impure thoughts is wrong-headed and in its worst manifestation puts girls in burkas. We cannot control what other people think, but we can influence behavior. If the boys act inappropriately, discipline them and teach them how to treat a teammate with respect. There is nothing like running a few lines to teach manners.

Of course, impure thoughts is not really the issue is it? Young boys have delicate egos. How hard is it on your ego to be knocked on your ass by a girl? I remember matching up for a one-on-one against my sister. She almost beat me. Five minutes later, her friend killed me. My ego… It was seriously bruised, but I recovered.

Side note: My little sister the majorette was a good athlete herself. She chose another path and excelled. She would have dominated in sports if she chose too. Girls are like that.

Christian magicians are rising to defend themselves against assertions made by a Christian Post columnist that the performance of magic may involve the occult.

They are upset with columnist Dan Delzell's opinion that the U.K.-based magician Dynamo's illusion of levitating alongside a red London double decker bus was real. Delzell related the performance to "witchcraft and contact with evil spirits, and the presumption that the art of magic is a gateway to demonic involvement."

Delzell's column incited a number of Christian magicians to leave comments criticizing his assumption that magic performances are linked to demonic power. These magicians included Jim Munroe, who works with worldwide ministries; Rob Robinson, a Christian magician and mentalist; and Joe Turner, who is a member of the Fellowship of Christian Magicians and served on the board of the International Brotherhood of Magicians.

The fact that there are Christians who think that magic is really magic surprises me. Concocting a supernatural explanation to the simple reality of a skilled magician's performance of a mind-blowing trick is as ignorant as claiming that the earth is flat. Any reasonable person knows that magic is an illusion based on manipulating audience perceptions, and that some magicians are much better than others. Christians of the world, to claim otherwise devalues your vaulted faith and makes you and your beliefs a laughingstock. Keep at it if you must, but you are perpetuating your own demise.

Here is what Dan Delzell had to say (I should say, "made up").

Whether the levitation is experienced by young girls playing a dangerous occult "game" at a slumber party, ("Light as a feather, Stiff as a board") or by street magicians as shown on YouTube videos, paranormal things happen when people engage in practices that are rooted in sorcery, magic and witchcraft. Many magicians and other occultists have experienced levitation and various forms of supernatural power. These sorcerers typically cast spells or perform other rituals in an attempt to conjure the power to accomplish these feats. It is becoming more and more commonplace to see such expressions of magical performance.

Delzell pulled all of that out of thin air. Every bit of his column is un-researched, non-factual drivel. He knows nothing about his subject. Has no authority, and cannot link a single instance of magic to the occult by fact. Let's practice a normal response. "Wow! How did he do that?" It sounds better than, "That man is in league with the Devil! Burn him!"

Saturday, July 20, 2013

Despite making an “unreserved apology”, the leader of Christian Voice attributed the situation to Tesco’s support of Pride in London in 2012.

Christian Voice’s national director Stephen Green told PinkNews: “It is symptomatic of the bad management of Tesco. Any company which announces its support for gay pride six weeks before Christmas obviously can’t operate basic pest control.”

Let's call this what it really is, an outrageous public display of homophobia and hate. I am confused though. Any rational person will see this for what it really is; a lie pushing a political position and motivated by hate. Christians, how does this help you message?

Canadian pastor and convicted pedophile Patrick Marini (71) was arrested on a charge of attempted kidnapping. He apparently tried to lure a young boy out of a public Library.

Patrick Marini, 71, has been charged with attempted kidnapping of a person under 14 and breach after an incident involving a boy at the Clearbrook Library at 32320 George Ferguson Way on Tuesday morning, said Const. Ian MacDonald.

A 12-year-old boy seated alone at the library was approached a number of times by a man over the space of an hour starting at 9:45 a.m., said MacDonald.

The suspect tried to convince the boy to leave the library with him.

"He offered the young man repeated inducements in an attempt to get the boy to leave," said MacDonald.

Friday, July 19, 2013

One count of disseminating harmful material to a minor under 18 years of age (felony) One count of disseminating harmful material to a minor under 16 years of age (felony) two counts of indecent liberties with a child (Felony) two counts of second degree sexual exploitation of a minor (Felony)

There are several alleged victims. The case is a classic fail. The leadership had no idea there was abuse happening. Morgan's former church fired the pastor after he admitted to extensive sexual immorality.

"It is the primary responsibility of our leadership to look after the well being of the people at High Rock Church. Therefore, as a result of his confession, we have released Torrey from his position of pastor and revoked his ordination. We are still trying to discover the full scope of the circumstances, and there may be other actions placed against him. We will keep you posted as things develop," Johnson added.

It was a sad day for the people of High Rock Church, but at least they took some of the steps necessary to start the healing.

Pastor Dean Sparks of the Last Chance Evangelical Church in Jackson, Mississippi, has stunned the world with his boldest prediction yet - that Jesus Christ is set to return to earth this very week.

Sparks says he realized the Second Coming was close when he saw a Facebook weather report from the Mississippi Storm Chasing group. The graphic and description showed a storm moving into the area from east to west - a very strange occurrence.

I call dibs on the home of the pastor who runs the local Korean Church. At 4,400 square feet, it should really be called a mansion.

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

When it comes to computer viruses, you’re now more likely to catch one visiting a church website than surfing for porn.

As with herpes, one of the peripheral embarrassments of contracting a computer virus is that everyone has a pretty good idea of what you were up to when you got it. Oh sure, it’s possible you just chastely pecked a misleading email link. But odds are you picked it up because you were dallying on one of those shady, fly-by-night websites that people visit when they’re seeking fulfillment. You know—religious sites.

Angela Thomas, the wife of assistant pastor Bill Thomas, wrote a column critical of the Southern Baptists response to the Boy Scouts welcoming gay members, has placed her husbands job at risk. It seems that the Shiite Baptists cannot take criticism from within the ranks. Even if the criticism is mild…

"Sexuality doesn't come up and isn't relative to typical scouting activities but now, thanks to Southern Baptists, the parents of little innocent scouts everywhere are having to have The Talk," she wrote June 19 in The Madisonville Messenger. She writes a weekly humor column for the community paper, which publishes daily.

Angela Thomas' column introduces the term, "Shiite Baptists". I think it is fitting. Let me tell you why. I get the nastiest emails from two religious categories: Muslims and Baptists. All I need do to start the hate mail is write a post critical of either group. The next day my inbox is full. I have filters setup to look for the hate content. It is deleted automatically.

Thursday, July 04, 2013

I recently ate breakfast at a restaurant while on business travel. It was all but empty with only two other small parties and the staff. The waiter took my order in Spanish. I tried to order eggs and bacon in kind, but forgot the word for bacon. I stumbled over el to… and just could not put it together. My waiter offered "bacons" in English. I said, "Bacon." And then things took a silly turn.

He said, "You only want one bacon?"

I said, "No, I want a side of bacon."

He said, "Oh, you mean a side of bacons."

I said, "No. I want a side of bacon. You know, four pieces."

He looked at me like I was crazy and then just stood there.

I tried to explain that bacon is both a single and plural in english, but he did not understand me. I was about to give up when one of the two parties eating in the restaurant said, "We ordered a side of bacons and we got four pieces!, is that what you want?"

Convicted pedophile and former priest James Donaghy used disturbing tactics to snare his seven-year-old victims.

Belfast Crown Court heard that the boy was quite distressed about his grandfather being in purgatory but that 55-year-old James Martin Donaghy told the child "he could get him into haven if he helped him" and performed a sex act.

Judge Howard Shore issued a gag-order in a San Diego, California courtroom this week against Jeff Olson, a 40-year-old activist that used washable children’s chalk to scribble anti-bank slogans in public space last year.

Jeff Olson writes political slogans in washable chalk on a public sidewalk outside of a bank. This is his full extent of his crime. How is it possible that Judge Shore would place a gag order on the case? There is no injured party. There is no victim. Who is he protecting? American civil liberties are under attack in this case, yet Judge Shore does not see this as a civil liberties case. Judge Shore banned defense attorneys from using a civil liberties defense.

Prosecutors in San Diego aren’t amused with his work, however, and have discounted Olson’s assertion that he was engaging in an act of free speech. Judge Shore said earlier in the week that Olson’s attorney is prohibited from "mentioning the First Amendment, free speech, free expression, public forum, expressive conduct or political speech during the trial,” but the issuing of a gag-order now limits much more than what was already decided.

The Mayor of San Diego thinks the case is a crazy overreach too.

“This young man is being persecuted for thirteen counts of vandalism stemming from an expression of political protest that involved washable children's chalk on a City sidewalk,” Filner wrote. “It is alleged that he has no previous criminal record. If these assertions are correct, I believe this is a misuse and waste of taxpayer money. It could also be characterized as an abuse of power that infringes on First Amendment particularly when it is arbitrarily applied to some, but not all, similar speech.”

Then again, the prosecutor is running for mayor and taking political contributions from the bank that Jeff Olson was protesting. I don't need to spell this out do I?

Have we come to this in America? Threatening John Q. Public with 13 years in prison for exercising his right to free expression? Is the case so politically charged that the judge would place a gag order on the proceedings? This case is unjust.